Psychometric Test (PET) key terms

A comparison that shows how two pairs of words relate in the same way, such as hand is to glove as foot is to shoe. You must identify the underlying relationship.

A task where you choose the word that does not belong with the others because it lacks a shared feature the rest have. Also called an exclusion question.

The process of sorting items into groups based on shared features, or spotting which item fails to fit an established group. Underlies many verbal and figural questions.

A group of things sharing a common property, such as fruits, tools, or mammals. Naming the category of a word helps you solve analogy and exclusion items.

The link between two words or ideas, such as cause and effect, part and whole, or synonymy. Identifying it precisely is the core skill in verbal analogy questions.

A word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another, such as begin and start. Recognizing synonyms is essential for vocabulary and analogy items.

A word with the opposite meaning of another, such as hot and cold. Antonym pairs often appear as the intended relationship in analogy questions.

The emotional or implied meaning a word carries beyond its literal sense, such as the negative tone of stingy versus the neutral tone of frugal.

The literal, dictionary meaning of a word, independent of emotional associations. Distinguishing it from connotation helps in precise vocabulary questions.

A more specific word that falls under a broader term, such as rose under flower. Recognizing such part-to-category links helps solve analogy and classification items.

A broad term that covers narrower words, such as vehicle covering car and truck. The reverse link of a hyponym, common in classification questions.

A conclusion drawn from evidence rather than stated directly. In verbal reasoning you infer what must be true given the passage, not what is merely possible.

An unstated idea that must be true for an argument to hold. Spotting hidden assumptions is central to evaluating reasoning passages.

A stated reason or piece of evidence offered in support of a conclusion. Premises are what an argument rests on and are usually given explicitly.

The claim an argument tries to establish, supported by premises. In reasoning questions you often identify it or judge whether it follows logically.

The property of an argument whose conclusion follows necessarily from its premises, regardless of whether those premises are actually true.

A form of deductive reasoning with two premises leading to a conclusion, such as all A are B, all B are C, therefore all A are C.

Reasoning that moves from general rules to a guaranteed specific conclusion. If the premises are true and the form is valid, the conclusion must be true.

A comparison of two quantities showing how many times one contains the other, written as 3:4 or 3/4. Ratios scale both values by the same factor.

An equation stating that two ratios are equal, such as 2/3 = 4/6. Used to solve scaling problems by cross-multiplication.

A part expressed as a fraction of one hundred. Converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages is a core quantitative skill.

The increase or decrease of a value expressed as a percentage of its original amount, calculated as change divided by original times one hundred.

The arithmetic mean, found by adding all values and dividing by how many there are. Also called the mean of a data set.

The middle value in a data set when values are arranged in order. With an even count, it is the mean of the two middle values.

The difference between the highest and lowest values in a data set. A simple measure of how spread out the data is.

A mean in which each value counts according to its assigned weight, rather than all counting equally. Found by dividing the sum of weighted values by total weight.

A method for solving proportions by multiplying the numerator of one fraction by the denominator of the other, setting the two products equal.

A ratio comparing two quantities with different units, such as kilometres per hour or cost per item. Solving rate problems often means using the formula distance equals rate times time.

Approximating an answer to save time by rounding values to convenient numbers. Useful when answer choices are far apart and exact calculation is unnecessary.

An intuitive feel for how numbers behave, including size, place value, and the effect of operations. It supports fast estimation and sanity-checking of answers.

Replacing a number with a nearby simpler value, usually to a given place value, following the rule that a digit of five or more rounds up.

Turning a figure around a fixed point by a given angle, such as ninety degrees clockwise. The shape keeps its size and form but changes orientation.

Flipping a figure across a line so it appears as a mirror image. Left and right are swapped relative to the mirror line.

A change in a figure's position, orientation, or size, including rotation, reflection, translation, and scaling. Tracking transformations is the basis of figural sequence questions.

The property of a figure that looks unchanged when folded along a line or turned partway around. Symmetry often reveals the rule in figural patterns.

An ordered series in which each item follows a rule from the one before. In figural reasoning you find the rule to predict the next figure.

A repeating or rule-governed arrangement of shapes, lines, or features. Identifying the pattern lets you predict missing or next elements.

A set of figures or numbers presented in order, where one or more elements are missing or must be continued according to an underlying rule.

A visual comparison in which the change between the first pair of figures must be applied to a second figure to find its match.

The central point a passage makes, stated or implied. Distinguishing it from supporting details is a common reading comprehension task.

A brief restatement of a text's key points in your own words, leaving out minor details. Tests often ask you to choose the best summary.

Restating a text's meaning using different words while keeping the original sense. Recognising paraphrases helps match questions to passage content.

Information in surrounding words or sentences that helps you work out the meaning of an unfamiliar word, such as a definition, example, or contrast.

Determining a word's meaning from how it is used in a sentence, since many words have several senses. The surrounding text decides which sense applies.

The system of rules governing how words combine into sentences, covering agreement, tense, word order, and punctuation. Errors in these areas are commonly tested.

The rule that a verb must match its subject in number, so a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes a plural verb.

The arrangement of words and phrases to form well-formed sentences. Awkward or unclear word order is a frequent error type in language tests.

A task where you choose the word or phrase that best fills a blank so the sentence reads correctly in grammar and meaning.